Warren bdson



(No Model.)

G. W. W. EDSON.

FLY TRAP.

No. 325,168. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

' witnesses N PETERS. Pho\o-L|(hogmphur. Wuhmglcn. n. c.

GEORGE \VASIIINGTOX \VARREN EDSON, OF STO\V, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLY-TRAP.

SPECIFICATZQQI forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,163, dated August 25, 1885.

Application filed December 10, I884,

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnorzcn WAsunvGToN VARREN Enson, of Stow, in the county of Middlesex and State of llfassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in FlyTraps, which will, in connection with the accompanying drawings, be hereinafter fully described, and specifically defined in the ap pended claims.

This invention relates to fly'traps; and its object is to effect certain improvements therein which will tend to the more rapid, certain,and effective extermination of those social pests known as house-flies, and it will, in connection with the accompanying drawingsbehere inafter clearly described and claimed.

In said drawings, Figure l is a top or plan view of a fly-trap embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section 1 hereof, taken as on line Z V, Fig. 1. and viewed as from below said line or from the bottom end of the sheet.

In said views, A represents a chamber or box open at the top, but having a bottom. a, sides Z) l), and ends 0 c. The sides I) b and bottom a are extended beyond end a, and an end wall, o completes another lesser box or chamber, which is closed at top by a cover, (1'. -Aprisn1 is arranged in box A, and is pivotally supported by its journals 0 c, which are seated in open slots in ends 0 c of said box, so as to be readily place l in position therein or removed therefrom. Upon the journal e of saidprism is secured the gear j', which is engaged and driven by a gearof the eloek-move1ncnt U,a1= ranged in the described small chamberor box, and is of snliicient power to impart a slowbut constant rotation to said prism. In form said prismistonr-sided, each side or face of which is a plane at right angles to thetwo adjacentones, and I secure to ends 0 c of box A, by means of metal holders 71, the arc-like transparent.-glass curtain g, the curvature of whose cross-section coincides with the radius of said cylinder at the angle of intersection of its planes, so that said angles 01' the prism may move close to said glass curtain when passing the same, and yet not be in contact therewith, said curtain g be ing secured closely to the ends of the box by said holders 71', and a wooden bar, a, serving to close the space between the curtain and front b of the box, while the length of the are of the (No model) curtain is such that one of the angles of prism B does not pass it until the next reaches it. Therefore the flies which have alighted upon a plane of the prism, and are carried forward thereon till the angle at the rearward edge of such plane has reached the upper edge of the curtain, are past all hope of escape, and will be driven by the movement of the prism into the box below.

To drive all flies from the prism after it has so carried them into the lower chamber, I employ a curtain or cover, i,which is supported by its pivots j, which are arranged at aboutits longitudinal center, and which are'seated in open slots in ends 0 c of box A, aconcavearc, K, being arranged at thcrear edge of said curtain to prevent escape of flies when the front edge of the curtain is raised by the passing angles of prism B.

To the front or upper edge of curtain i is pivot-ed by screw m a iiy-detacher, Z, which at its lower edge is cutaway at w, between the short sections 11, which alone bear upon prism B, and as said sectionxiscut awayaless space than would suffice forthe escape of a fly, and as the adhesive fly-bait (molasses or other flyenticing food] is placed upon the longitudinal center of the planes of prism B to nearly butnot quite the extent corresponding with section a: of detacher, therefore theprojcctiugsections n, which alone bear on'the prism, are never in cont-act with such bait, and hence a great saving in the requisite driving force of the clockwork is effected over what would be necessary if said detaehcr rested its entire length upon the prism, and thereby not only engaged the bait thereon, but also, as would result in such cases, dragged and mixed the flies therein, while my (letacher, instead of firstfitstening the legs of the tlies, and then crushing their bodies in the bait, is only in contact with their heads or bodies, and thus causes them to ily from the prism, thus leaving the bait clean and undisturbed.

In order to dispose of the iliesattcrthcy are entrapped in box A, I employ the usual cage, 1), formed with a bottom, p, having a pivotal. tilting section, 1), for discharging dead flies, the ends q, and side 3, the cage being secured to the trap A by hooks 3 as shown, a section of wire-gauze, t, secured to side 8, ends q, and

bottom 1) completing the walls of the cage. A

ICO

hole, 12, formed coincidently in back I) of the trap and side 8 of the cage, is covered by the wire-gauze cone to, which has a small opening at its apex, and extends within the cage, and is secured to side .9, and through said opening the captured flies pass into the cage.

I am aware that it is not new to combine in a fly-trap a rotary bait-bearing prism, a fixed arc-like curtain in front thereof, and ahinged curtain in rear thereof adapted to scrape the flies from the cylinder; but such concave front curtainwas formed of wiregauze, which, as soon as the first edge of the respective planes overlapped it, would cast a marked shadow thereon, thus frightening such of the flies therefrom as were not intently engaged in devouringthe bait, while my curtain, being perfectly transparent, has no tendency to cast a shadow, and hence it will not disturb the flies that are being carried forward on the prism; and by pivoting the rear curtain, 11, at or near its longitudinal center, and but slightly in rear of its center of gravity, its bearing, weight, and consequent friction upon cylinder Bare thereby materially diminished, while by diminishing the width of detacher Z at the main central section, a2,itmay be kept entirely clear of the bait placed upon the prism, and by pivoting said detacher at its center it conforms to any inequality of the prism and at all times bears equally upon each end thereof.

Said glass curtains may be formed with the requisite curve when theglassis manufactured; or, as I have found preferable, they may be curved by the exercise of the well-known art of the glass-bender.

By pivoting detacher Z near its lineal center upon the front edge of curtain'i, the detacher, by its free action upon its own pivot, will always bear equally at each of its ends upon the cylinder, and through its said pivot it serves as the means by which the curtain is raised and controlled in its falling movements, the detacher alwaysacting upon the lineal center of the curtain, and hence preventing that constrained or cramping action that would result if the detacher were rigidly secured to the curtain and the axis of the cylinder and detacher did not coincide in plane, as is almost certain to be their condition.

I am well aware of United States Patent N o. 20%,053, and I claim nothing shown, described, or claimed therein, my invention differing therefrom in that I employ a transparent shadowless curved glass curtain instead of one formed of woven wire; next, I pivot my rear curtain near its center of gravity, instead of at its rear edge; and, lastly, I pivot my detacher near its lineal center, instead of securing it rigidly to the rear curtain, with advantages pointed out in the specification.

I claim as my invention 7 1. The combination,with the rotary prism of a fly-trap, of a curtain of transparent glass curved in cross-section, as an arc of a circle, corresponding with the greater circle described by said prism, and a detacher duly pivoted and arranged to cooperate with said prism and shield, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the rotary prism of a fly-trap, the rear curtain provided with a suitable detacher and pivoted at or near the center of its width and slightly in rear of its center of gravity, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the rotary prism and rear curtain of a fly-trap, of a detacher pivoted upon said curtain at or near thelineal center of said detacher, substantially as specified.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WARREN EDSON,

Witnesses:

FRED O. WELSH, DANIEL W. STRA TTON. 

